Grosse Pointe Boat Club

Founded in 1959, The Grosse Pointe Boat Club is a boating and social club (sail and power) located in Neff Park in the City of Grosse Pointe. The family-oriented club operates out of a repurposed garage fondly nicknamed The Littlest Club. The club hosts a variety of events including parties at the park and in the Scrace Marina, weekend rendezvous at various points on Lake St. Clair, sailboat races, and an annual Christmas party and Commodore’s Ball. We also offer annual safety inspections for boats in the marina.

THE LATEST NEWS

Back-to-back festivities

It was another beautiful weekend in the neighborhood and the perfect setting for two back-to-back GPBC events: the Homeport Rendezvous on Saturday, July 9, and the Commodores’ Breakfast on Sunday, July 10.

Hosted by PC Leslie Wagner, the Homeport Rendezvous was an informal gathering of members who came to the Littlest Club to picnic with their pals. Special thanks to PC Phil and Sheri Allor, PC Buzz Young and PC Sheila Tomkowiak, for diving in to help pull it all together at the last minute. Thanks too go to Connie Howe, Don and Paula Smolenski, Betsy Hohlfeldt, and a host of other members who helped set up and clean up on Saturday as well as help stage the clubhouse for Sunday morning.

At 7 a.m. Sunday the highly experienced Past Commodore crew swung into action, mixing pancakes, cracking eggs, and grilling up bacon and breakfast sausage. The PCs who donned club aprons included: PC/Host Leslie Wagner; PC Phil Allor; PC Dave Hohlfeldt; PC Don (the baconator) Smolenski; PC Frank Stellingwerf; PC Sheila Tomkowiak; PCs John, Wayne, and Linda Onstwedder; PC James Grenda; PC Buzz Young; and PC Dale Cox. Other hard workers included Bridge and Board Members Sheri (master organizer and the hardest working woman in the boat club) Allor, Matt Bontomasi, Duncan Currie, Brian Fromm, and Jim Callahagn. Special thanks for setup and cleanup help go to Veronica Greiner, Diane Currie, Betsy Hohlfeldt, and a host of others too numerous to name. By the time we closed up the clubhouse at 12:30, you never would have known that we had served a fabulous breakfast buffet and morning cocktails to more than 55 members.

Welcome new members: New members Sherry Gaines and son Eliot, and Lynne and Bernie Loperfido attended the weekend festivities. Other new members are: Julie and David Blake, Ed Rogers, Marshall Williams, and Karin Garrett.

In the pink: We were especially pleased to see Ken and Marty Casey at this event. We look forward to Ken’s continued recovery following receipt of a new kidney.

Photos from the Commodores’ breakfast are here.

Couldn’t have asked for a better evening

A perfect day set the scene for the Summer Chow Down at the Littlest Club Saturday, June 18!

The Lobsterfest crew of PCs Davies, Onstwedders and Hohfeldt reunited after the long Covid-19 pause to whip up a delicious dinner featuring Linda’s signature Caesar Salad, Dave’s clam chowder and Wayne’s incomparable grilled chicken. With grilled sausage/kraut, beans, cheesy potatoes, and corn on the cob added to the menu, we don’t think anyone missed the lobster.

The club never looked more beautiful decked in striped tablecloths with flowers on every table. This year’s event honored our late friend Steve Davies whose picture greeted us at the check-in table.

Lucky Lady Mickey Cox held the winning ticket for the 50/50 drawing and took home $135.

Seventy five members and friends attended the event. Many thanks to the co hosts PCs Linda and Wayne Onstwedder, PC Dave and Betsy Hohfeldt and PC Jane Davies for making the evening a smashing success and a fitting tribute to Steve. We were so lucky to be his friend.

Special thanks to the following members who also assisted in making this event special:

Don Beardsley – madras mixing, food prep, grilling, boiling, baking, serving and all the legwork in between.
Erik and Constance Wahib – check in
VC Matt and daughter Sofia Bontomasi – 50/50 drawing

More photos from the party are here.

Thanks to PC Buzz Young for taking all the great pictures for all our events.

Fitting Out Party Recap

The 2022 GPBC season, under the steady hand of Commodore Liz Natter, is off to a terrific start. The Fitting Out Party on May 14 was a great success with an activity-filled day and evening.

In the morning, PCs Don Smolenski and Dave Hohfeldt performed boat safety inspections. They gave several decals to boats that passed and guided others in what they need to do to earn a decal. And as we all understand, safety on the water is our top priority.

At 5 p.m., PC Buzz Young, assisted by Mayor/PC Sheila Tomkowiak and Race Committee Chair Jay Kaiser, unveiled two beautiful new park benches at the end of the pier that were purchased with generous donations from GPBC members. Both benches sport plaques thanking the donors. The bench that will be used by our Race Committee on Wednesday nights was completely funded by Sid and Al (The Old Cannon Whacker) LeChard. Jay’s colorful remarks not only commended The Old Cannon Whacker for the bench, but mentioned his and Sid’s colorful career at the end of the Pier on Wednesday nights.

The second bench was funded by members collective generosity (with the largest check coming from someone named Anomynous). All in all, GPBC members contributed a whopping $4,000 to help support the City of Grosse Pointe upgrade our beautiful Neff Park. If you didn’t make it to the dedication, you might head down to the end of the pier and check them out. Or better yet, come down on race night beginning Wednesdays in June.

After the dedication, it was back to the clubhouse for the official Fitting Out Party featuring “the guilty pleasure buffet” of coney dogs, sliders and fried chicken. More than 60 members and their guests attended the event which doubled as a birthday party for Fast Eddie Benz who turned 89 (or was it 39?) featuring a cake, balloons and a chorus of good wishes.

In other event highlights, four new member were recruited, and Secretary Sheri Allor walked away with $100+ from the 50-50 drawing. The first time she has won in 40+ years of buying tickets.

Thanks go to the folks who helped Commodore Liz Natter with the event: VC Matt and Sofia Bontomasi, RC Brian Fromm, Director Sedona Cox, PC Buzz Young, PC Sheila Tomkowiak, Joyce Present, Erik and Constance Wahab, Mickey Cox, Lori McKutcheon, Chris Kaiser, Mary Scrace, and more. Commodore Liz also sent out special thanks to everyone who “hung their rosaries in the tree or did some special magic to keep the rain drops away.”

More photos here.

Event Recap: Feather Bowling

Sixty plus members and their friends gathered at the Cadieux Cafe for mussels, feather bowler’s fish and chips, and friendly competition in the feather bowling alley. It was wonderful to see so many maskless, smiling faces again.

Rear Commodore Brian and Tamra Fromm and new member Heidi Much did a terrific job of organizing and executing (akin to herding cats) the event, which was held this year in fond memory of our friend Nancy Zens. Kudos to new members Paul Maiale and Heidi who resurrected the 50/50 drawing. Mike Marsh held the winning ticket for $162. (May he be so lucky in the Wednesday Night Races!) At the event, we met new members Anna and Steve Redding and the newly wed Brian and Mrs. McCutcheon. Welcome!

More photos are here.